Article Is Tech the New Currency? Why You Need Modern IT
Let’s play a game: Name five currently operating businesses that don’t use technology.
By Isabel Ticlo / 25 May 2017 / Topics: Internet of Things (IoT) Workforce
How did you do? I know I had a hard time brainstorming a list. I mean, think about it, even the seemingly low-tech industries use some sort of device. Supermarkets have rows of self-checkout machines, banks have physical and digital data security solutions, and restaurants have kiosks tapping into software and networking — even postal carriers have their trusty GPS sidekick and package scanner.
Every business is touched by technology in some way — whether using social media to better engage with audiences, harnessing intelligent networking to connect software and devices, or using behind-the-scenes cloud and server storage systems. At the end of the day, technology makes it possible for organizations to work faster, with greater accuracy and reach.
Insight’s 2017 Intelligent Technology Index investigates how IT decision-makers feel about these advancing trends in the workplace and what solutions they’re leveraging in order to achieve greater outcomes. Let’s dive into some of the results.
IT as the heart of business
It may come as a surprise that 85% of technology professionals strongly or somewhat agree their company’s leadership believes the organization is an IT company at heart. More and more, businesses are acknowledging that technology is not only supporting the business — it is becoming the business. They are embracing the innovative IT trends, solutions and services customized for needs around mobility, security, the cloud, virtualization and more to help them run smarter.
Imagine a small bakery that’s struggling to increase sales and decrease existing costs. Integrating new technology that creates efficiencies for workers and drives marketing efforts may help the business stay competitive. This could mean leveraging applications to attract new customers, implementing reports to better predict inventory needs or implementing digital ordering systems to simplify workflows.
On the flip side, picture a bakery that’s booming with business but weighed down by outdated machinery, devices and systems. Finding a solution that helps the team maintain existing infrastructure and add new capabilities around faster, more consistent production, will help the business keep up with demand — and accept orders it wouldn’t have otherwise had the capacitity to fulfill.
The key message here is that both of these bakeries, on both ends of the spectrum, need to keep their eye on the latest IT trends to foster competitive growth.
Consciously making the decision to modernize your workplace toolkit will enable your team to provide better customer experiences, increase productivity and drive profitability.
What does this mean moving forward?
Insight’s 2017 Intelligent Technology Index highlights the areas in which IT professionals are investing for future development. For instance,
49% of IT leaders say their companies have begun to integrate the Internet of Things (IoT) into their strategies around consumer engagement and mobility.
As shown in Figure 1, the number of IoT connected devices installed worldwide has exponentially increased from 15.41 billion in 2015 to 20.35 billion in 2017, and it's expected to reach 75.44 billion in 2025. The idea of smart objects has been around for decades, but connected devices are the reason smart offices have become more common. With mobile tools and security solutions, companies can equip their teams to work safely anytime, anywhere and on any device — which fits the flexible, independent workstyle millennials expect from modern businesses.
And, aside from helping companies stay relevant to attract new talent, IoT technologies empower employees to seamlessly communicate around the world, confidently share sensitive files, instantly access necessary resources and easily analyze business functions to create new revenue opportunities.
The benefits of the IoT and big data analytics aren’t exclusive to specific industries or segments. Figure 2 highlights the results from a survey that reached more than 1,400 people in various professions, addressing the ways data is used to power opportunities. The findings indicate that 61% of respondents use data to increase revenue while 56% leverage data to serve customers better.
Similarly, the 2017 Intelligent Technology Index reveals that 63% of responding companies have begun to adopt a bimodal IT approach — where one group focuses on predictability and operations, and another group focuses on innovation. This means companies are taking advantage of next-generation technology such as big data analytics to better anticipate customers’ needs and continuously improve existing infrastructure.
A transformative solution
Businesses that understand how imperative it is to adopt the latest IT trends are the ones that thrive. Not sure how to get started? Take a step back, address your current environment and identify the key areas that can be improved. Then, explore the solutions and best-in-class devices that will accommodate your unique needs.
In a hurry? It makes sense that just as you want to help your customers do more, faster, you want to empower employees to work as efficiently and conveniently as possible. One way to get what you need, faster, is to simplify your IT procurement process. The more intuitive your e-commerce experience, the faster you can get back to focusing on what matters most: growing your business.
Take a look around Insight’s e-commerce site to see if it’s a good fit for you.
Your future awaits.
Building technology into your offerings from the ground up, in addition to cultivating a highly specialized technology workforce, can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. We believe in innovation and the idea that every business should have the tools it needs to explore IT to its fullest. That’s why we offer complimentary resources around industry trends — so you can better manage infrastructure today and transform outcomes for the future.
